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Our son just bought an '08 X3 in very nice condition. It was advertised as being "BlueTooth compatible". But when trying to activate registration with his iPhone 5, he discovered that the car has no TCU!

Did X3's come standard with a TCU? Or would have a TCU been installed only if the car was ordered with a special options package? How does "BMW Assist" fit into this issue?

Was the so-called BlueTooth compatibility claim just a play on words?

(Sorry for all these questions...we're still learning about such things.)

You can purchase a TCU from Ebay. The TCU is Bluetooth and BMW assist (you have to pay a charge for this). The ULF is Bluetooth only and you need a pairing button to make it work. The car should be prewired and have a mic but I would check.

He recently acquired an iPhone 5 (he loves the latest cell "gadgets"). He can now connect his iPhone (a) to the car's mike/speaker system via a connector located in the rear of the console, and (b) to the car's cigarette lighter socket. Doing so allows him to make/receive calls via the car's mike/speaker system.

And since the iPhone 5 has "voice control", he can access his cell's directory via voice commands.

Other than the unsightly cable connections, he's "good to go" and has avoided the very costly task of having a TCU or whatever installed to enable OEM BlueTooth.